Trailer Hitch Anticlastic: Two Ways

Dyed Faux Bone (left), Copper with Inked Faux Bone strips and brass wire/beads (right)

I've noodled ways to create an anticlastic-style Faux Bone bracelet for the last couple of years but have never come up with something that worked consistently. However, while roaming the aisles of a hardware store (as I do at least once a week), I came across a giant display of different trailer hitches, all priced at about $8. The department manager eyed me picking each one up, inspecting each to see how even and deep the well between the ball and screw were. He asked me if I needed help and when I explained what I was doing he said, "Oh, you're one of those." (Come on everyone, admit it. You, too, torture well-intentioned hardware store clerks with tales of how you are going to make jewelry with their wares.)

After finding the perfect hitch, I attached it to my table at home and began to hammer away on copper. It didn't take too long to find a sure fire way to get a bangle every time, in about 15 minutes! While my first half dozen were very rough, I got better and better at getting smoother shapes. It is a great exercise for understanding how metal moves. I played around with different designs... open bracelets, rippled edges, rolled edges that trap beads. I then moved on to my original intention of working with the Faux Bone.

Using my copper form, I was able to heat and form a Faux Bone bracelet blank around the form. It took a few tries and a few tricks to get it right, but once I figured it out, I could repeat it over and over again. They look great worn together and you can make interchangeable Faux Bone strip bracelets to go in the center well of the bangles. I am so jazzed about this new and inexpensive technique and hope to bring it to a classroom soon. If you get a chance to try it out at home, send me a picture of what you make. Would love to see what you create...recklessly!